1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to containers primarily used for collection and transport of urine specimens from a specimen collection site to a clinical laboratory for analysis and possible subsequent storage.
2. State of the Prior Art
Urine specimens are routinely taken from individuals by medical personnel for laboratory analysis. The analysis may be for purposes of diagnosing disease, or for detecting the use of a controlled substance by the donor. The specimens are collected at a location, typically a medical doctor's office or hospital, from where the specimen must be transported to a clinical laboratory site where the specimen is subjected to the desired analysis. The urine sample is usually collected and shipped in the same container. The laboratory site may be quite distant from the collection site and the specimen container is often forwarded by mail including air mail. It is necessary that the specimen be leak proof during handling in transport, even when subjected to reduced atmospheric pressure as may occur during air transport.
Existing containers used for collection and transport of urine specimens suffer from a number of shortcomings.
Conventionally, vials and containers of various designs having threaded, twist-off closures or caps have been used for this purpose. While such containers perform their intended function, laboratory personnel handling hundreds of such containers per day can develop repetitive motion syndromes and consequent disability due to the repeated wrist motion required to open and close the twist-off caps. Secondly, the urine specimen is usually collected by the patient who urinates directly into the open container, and then closes the twist-off cap. The amount of urine needed for most laboratory analyses is not large, and the containers used for collection of the specimens are accordingly rather small. In particular, the mouth opening of the container is typically smaller than 50 millimeters. Collection of a specimen into such an opening does not pose a particular problem for male patients, but is difficult for female patients. Thirdly, the liquid contents of small, wide mouth containers have a tendency to spill over or splash out of the container during handling and particularly during removal of the twist-off cap of such a container.
A need exists for improved containers for medical specimens which are secure against leakage yet more easily handled by both patients and laboratory personnel to facilitate specimen collection, reduce the chances of spillage, and alleviate the repetitive motion hazard posed by existing designs.